Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
2
pubmed:dateCreated
2004-6-14
pubmed:abstractText
Hepatitis viruses are the leading cause of liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma worldwide. Since currently available treatment options against these viruses are limited, there is a need for development of alternative therapies. In this minireview, we concentrate on three hepatitis viruses--hepatitis C virus, hepatitis B virus, and hepatitis delta virus and discuss how RNA interference (RNAi) has been utilized against them. RNAi is a process by which small double-stranded RNA can effectively target a homologous RNA sequence for degradation by cellular ribonucleases. Though RNAi was exploited in the beginning for down-regulating cellular genes, it has recently been demonstrated that this process is equally effective against many types of human and animal viruses including the hepatitis viruses. Both synthetic small-interfering RNAs (siRNAs) and plasmid-based siRNA expression systems have been useful in suppressing the hepatitis viruses. Though this new approach looks promising, problems of nonspecific effects and delivery may need to be addressed before the full therapeutic potential of RNAi against viral infections in patients is realized.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Jun
pubmed:issn
0042-6822
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:day
1
pubmed:volume
323
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
173-81
pubmed:dateRevised
2006-4-13
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
2004
pubmed:articleTitle
RNA interference as a new strategy against viral hepatitis.
pubmed:affiliation
Department of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, USA.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Review